Meet the PACE Mentor Team
The PACE Mentor Team is made up of upper-class student leaders who serve as peer mentors for students enrolled in the PACE Multicultural Mentorship Program. Each mentor is passionate about building community, celebrating identity, and helping new students thrive at Augustana.
You’ll meet your PACE Mentor in August, just before the start of PACE Orientation. Your mentor will be a familiar face who’s walked a similar path, and is committed to helping you feel seen, supported, and successful throughout your first year.
Noelia Avila
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Junior
Hometown: Moline, Illinois
Major: Art Education
Involvement: Admissions Ambassador, Asian Student Organization, Chi Omega Gamma Sorority, Latinx Unidos
What advice would you give to an incoming PACE student? Put yourself out there! Talk to people! Hangout! This process is new to everyone in many ways, it’s natural to feel nervous about everything college related. But I promise it’s way better to feel these emotions with people around you!!
Aidan Buford
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Richmond, Texas
Major: Art Education
Involvement: Black Student Union, Emerge Leadership Program, Latinx Unidos, Phi Omega Phi Fraternity
In one word, how would you describe your experience in PACE and why? Memorable. Regardless of what I go through, that experience has stuck so far and I'd like to think that there is a long, lasting impact.
Jaylen Clayton
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Major: Engineering
Involvement: Augustana Physics and Engineering Society, Heavy Steppas, TRIO Student Support Services, Wrestling Team
In what way did PACE help you feel seen, supported or empowered? PACE provided me with a community that I knew I could go to and rely on when things got hard or when I felt overwhelmed by everything else, that helped make me feel cared about and seen. Sometimes it’s hard to find a place of belonging and that’s what PACE gave to me by surrounding me with others who I knew looked like me.
Atticus Georgas
Position: PACE Mentor Lead
Year: Junior
Hometown: Bloomington, Illinois
Majors: Film, Sociology
Involvement: Asian Student Organization, Delta Omega Nu Fraternity - Diversity Chair, Film Club - Vice President, Latinx Unidos, Multicultural Men’s Association - Lead
What advice would you give to an incoming PACE student? Embrace change and know that you are not alone in this sometimes scary journey!
Reigna Hels
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Senior
Hometown: Naperville, Illinois
Major: Psychology
Involvement: Black Student Union - President, Former Heavy Steppas Treasurer, Reading/Writing Center Peer Tutor, The Culture Collective
In one word, how would you describe your experience in PACE and why? Transformative. Both my roles as a PACE mentee and mentor changed the way I navigate Augustana, our community, and our resources. As a mentee, I made friends and close relationships that supported me all through my time here. As a mentor, I learned how to be a successful leader and resource for incoming first-years.
Magaly Huesca
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Junior
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Majors: Sociology & Anthropology, Spanish
Involvement: Alpha Phi Omega - DEI & Fellowship Chair, Asian Student Organization - PR Chair, Chi Omega Gamma Sorority - Social Chair, Latinx Unidos - Historian
What advice would you give to an incoming PACE student? Don't be afraid to try new things and to explore different interests. And don't be afraid to reach out for anything.
Megan Kitchen
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Junior
Hometown: Washington, Iowa
Majors: Asian Studies, Business Management
Involvement: Asian Student Organization, Camp Kesam Augustana, Mahjong Club, Viking Tour Guide
In what way did PACE help you feel seen, supported or empowered? I never really knew where I belonged growing up in a small town. PACE gave me a community that I felt I belonged in.
Fatima Martinez Gallegos
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Junior
Hometown: Hodgkins, Illinois
Majors: Business Administration, Communications, Economics
Involvement: Augustana Observer, Student Government Association
In one word, how would you describe your experience in PACE and why? My experience with PACE can be described as nurturing. I chose this word because PACE provided me with a space where I could be myself, find a group of friends, have fun, and access the resources I needed to succeed at Augie.
Abi Morales
Position: PACE Mentor Lead
Year: Senior
Hometown: León, Gto. México
Majors: Public Health, Spanish
Involvement: Admissions Ambassador, Latinx Unidos, Sigma Pi Delta Sorority - Diversity Chair, TRIO Student Support Services
In one word, how would you describe your experience in PACE and why? Empowering. As a first-generation student coming to Augie was way scarier than I expected and there were many things I didn't know how to handle on my own. PACE provided me with early resources, time and space to settle in on my own, and helped me build community. I was able to feel confident in myself and to continue my studies in higher education, making me feel like I belonged and had the same right as everyone else to occupy space.
Leslie Moreno
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Senior
Hometown: East Moline, Illinois
Majors: Political Science, Spanish
Involvement: Chi Omega Gamma Sorority, Latinx Unidos - President, The Culture Collective, Viking Tour Guide
In what way did PACE help you feel seen, supported or empowered? The PACE program gave me resources that were impactful through my whole time at Augie. When starting PACE it started off as a support system as I navigated my first year, but now I know that this program made me feel seen and it helped me gain confidence on anything that I was involved in.
Jenny Osei-Kofi
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Aurora, Illinois
Majors: Communication Sciences and Disorders, Public Health
Involvement: Band, Delta Chi Theta Sorority, Multicultural Programming Board, Student Government Association, Viking Tour Guide
In what way did PACE help you feel seen, supported or empowered? A big part of the program was my mentor and other mentors that made me feel seen and supported me when I needed it.
Jamiah Riley
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Senior
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Major: Psychology
Involvement: Black Student Union, Former Community Advisor, Latinx Unidos, Sigma Pi Delta Sorority, Student Government Association
In what way did PACE help you feel seen, supported or empowered? PACE helped me feel all of these things. It gave me a chance to share my story and interact with people who look like me and were slightly similar in background. It really made me understand that this was a new chapter of my life and I wasn't alone in it.
Khadija Sakho
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Rock Island, Illinois
Majors: Pre-Occupational Therapy, Psychology
Involvement: Black Student Union, Chi Omega Gamma Sorority, Multicultural Programming Board
In what way did PACE help you feel seen, supported or empowered? The relationships I built with people who understood my experiences and offered advice have meant so much to me. It’s those supportive communities that made me want to stay at Augustana.
Morelia Sánchez Orozco
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Senior
Hometown: Rock Island, Illinois
Major: International Business
Involvement: Latinx Unidos
In what way did PACE help you feel seen, supported or empowered? PACE helped me get to know the campus and people.
Khalia Tate-Conn
Position: PACE Mentor
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Major: Kinesiology
Involvement: Black Student Union, Works in the Admissions Office
What advice would you give to an incoming PACE student? Do not limit yourself to the people you’re already comfortable with. Branch out, explore new cultures, and stay open to forming new connections. But at the same time, take time to get to know people and be a good judge of character.